Project description:In this study, we analyzed both together the epithelial tissue and the secreted mucus response using a holistic interactome-based multi-omics approach. The effect of the gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) skin mucosa to a dietary inclusion of spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) was evaluated.
Project description:Sea spray aerosols (SSAs) have profound effects on our climate and ecosystems. They also contain microbiota and biogenic molecules which could affect human health. Yet the exposure and effects of SSAs on human health remain poorly studied. Here, we exposed human lung cancer cells to extracts of a natural sea spray aerosol collected at the seashore in Belgium, a laboratory-generated SSA, the marine algal toxin homoyessotoxin and a chemical inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. We observed significant increased expression of genes related to the mTOR pathway and Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) after exposure to homoyessotoxin and the laboratory-generated SSA. In contrast, we observed a significant decrease in gene expression in the mTOR pathway and of PCSK9 after exposure to the natural SSA and the mTOR inhibitor, suggesting induction of apoptosis. Our results indicate that marine biogenics in SSAs interact with PCSK9 and the mTOR pathway and can be used in new potential pharmaceutical applications. Overall, our results provide a substantial molecular evidence base for potential beneficial health effects at environmentally relevant concentrations of natural SSAs.
Project description:Analysis of primary human bronchial epithelial cells grown in air liquid interface, exposed in vitro to whole tobacco cigarette smoke (48 puffs, 48 minutes) and electronic cigarette aerosol (400 puffs, 200 minutes). Electronic cigarette exposures included two flavors (menthol, tobacco) both with, and without nicotine.
Project description:Human BEAS-2B bronchial epithelial cells were exposed directly at the air-liquid interphase towards exhaust gas and particles of a ship engine. The goal was to compare the responses towards different fuel combustions. The engine run either on diesel fuel (DF) or on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO). The lung cells were exposed 3 times to each combustion aerosol (DF or HFO). The duration of the exposure was 4h. The cells were seeded into transwell-inserts 24h before exposure. Within each exposure 3 transwell-inserts were exposed to the complete aerosol and 3 transwell-inserts were exposed to the filtered aerosol. Effects of the complete aerosol were referenced against the filtered aerosol to determine the effects of the aerosol particles.
Project description:The harmful effects of cigarette smoke exposure on the respiratory tract are widely known. Exposure to aerosol from electronic vapor (e-vapor) products has been suggested to result in less risk of harm to smokers than CS exposure. Many studies have assessed the potential toxicity of the aerosol from e-vapor products in vitro. However, most studies have only tested the effects of liquid formulations applied directly to cell cultures but not those of the aerosolized formulations. In this study, we examined the effects of acute exposure on human organotypic bronchial epithelial culture and alveolar tri-culture models to an aerosol generated by an e-vapor device that uses the MESH™ technology (IQOS® MESH, Philip Morris International) and to CS from the 3R4F reference cigarette. In contrast to 3R4F CS exposure, exposure to the IQOS MESH Classic Tobacco aerosol did not cause cytotoxicity in either of the two lung culture models, despite resulting in greater concentrations of deposited nicotine. Ciliary beating frequency in bronchial cultures was not impacted in response to IQOS MESH aerosol exposure, whereas CS exposure caused a marked decrease in the frequency and the cilia beating active area. We complemented the histological and functional findings with quantitative analysis of the molecular changes in the exposed cultures. Global mRNA expression profiles and secreted protein profiles revealed a significantly lower impact of exposure to IQOS MESH aerosol than to 3R4F CS exposure. Overall, our study using whole aerosols for the exposure shows a much reduced impact of IQOS MESH aerosol in comparison to CS exposure in both bronchial and alveolar cultures, even at greater nicotine doses.
Project description:Cigarette smoke (CS) is an aerosol containing more than 6,000 chemicals and one of the risk factor in the development of chronic inflammatory lung disease. To evaluate biological effect of CS on human respiratory tract, organotypic bronchial epithelial cultures can be used to replicate in vivo tissue conditions. The MucilAir organotypic bronchial epithelial cultures were exposed to mainstream aerosols from the 3R4F cigarette and a novel tobacco vapor product (NTV), which we recently developed, using a Vitrocell exposure system. This system consists of three steps: the generation of CS, dilution, and exposure to an air-liquid interface cultured cells in a specially designed module. This exposure scenario mimics CS exposure in the human airway (i.e. direct aerosol exposure to the apical surface of air-liquid interface-cultured cells), We found a dose-dependent increase in the number of differentially expressed genes following 3R4F cigarette smoke exposure, compared with expression in air-exposed controls. In contrast, no changes were detected following exposure to NTV vapor.
